economics-test

For instance, chapter 5 is correct to point out that most tests don't measure emotional intelligence, BUT emotional competence, and then goes on to warn us that a test as Bar-on's EQi test certainly has disadvantages, given it is a self-administered test (In my experience, self-administration of EQ-like tests is particularly dangerous for recruiting and other forms of evaluation). Of course, then the question becomes: BUT I want to test EQ in the context of work, how can I do this in a reliable fashion? You'll find the answer halfway chapter 6, which indicates that Behavior Event Interviews will do the trick (I agree with this, since that's what I experienced as well). Unfortunately, you won't find what kind of questions to ask during such an interview, let alone examples of how to do it.

Also, I was glad that the author of chapter 8 pointed out the same pitfalls of hiring senior executives I have been warning companies for. The suggestions that were outline come close to what we have been doing for several customers, but again the real, practical how to's are missing.

The chapters on training emotional intelligence in part three of the book were more useful than the book "Promoting E.I.", so there is no need at all to buy that other book anymore. Once again, these 4 chapters contain many of the messages one should have when working to develop EQ.

My critique: Except the scientific parts, I found that many of the more practical things this book covers, are "old messages" that can be found in works of Boyatzis, McClelland, Prochaska, Spencer and Spencer, ...

Conclusion? Buy this book if you need a solid scientific basis for your knowledge of emotional intelligence. As far as the how-to's are concerned, this book will serve very well as an outline and a checklist by which one can evaluate the quality of work delivered by a consultant - however, it's not enough to really go out there and "just do it". On the other hand, if you are a consultant recruiting or training for emotional intelligence, this is a MUST READ. Don't get caught not knowing what's in here!...

Anyhow, I didn't give the book a 5, because I don't think a book can really tell you what you should do. Career books are at most, good guides. Mostly, you'll need to do a lot of research and soul searching before you can find a job that is suited to you. But, I can say that this book helped to put more perspective on the job hunt. As a recent entrant to the workforce and still discovering what I "want to be," this book helped me to better understand the things that I should be looking for in my next job/career: organizational culture, level of interaction with others, types of skills, etc.

The color analysis is based on a tool developed by Birkman. You can basically find everything in this book on the Princeton Review's site, www.review.com. If you have access to the Internet, this is probably the better and cheaper route. The information is almost the same, with the exception with exercises on recalling some past memories (this is the same exercise that is touted in "What Color is your Parachute?").

One thing that I did not like about the book was that it was too restrictive. Although the colors are guides, it's easy to get stuck into thinking that because you're a certain color, you should stay away from certain jobs. Also, I had hoped that there would be more job profiles. But, I guess you can just about find more job profiles on other websites like.

Happy hunting!

"So while saving may pave the road to riches for an individual, if the nation as a whole decides to save more, the result may be poverty for all!"

This thinking is flawed. After all, true savings means that we have put aside something we created (instead of consuming it) that someone can now use to sustain themselves while they create new products and jobs for those who were laid off from unprofitable businesses. Without these savings, we would not be able to survive to produce more. And if we don't, ourselves, produce more than we consume, then where will all the new businesses get their resources to run their new business (before it starts to produce anything).

As usual, these writers of mainstream economics don't seem able to follow through with a chain of events. It's as though when someone saves a dollar's worth of some product, it is always burried and lost to human kind. These authors would have us continue to consume everything around us without any regard for new production. Somehow this would result in less proverty.

Unless you are forced to buy this book for a course in Economics, you would be better off looking elsewhere. Better yet, find a better course in economics, unless you are only interested in working for some organization that feeds itself by spreading false economic theory.

Many of my strenghts - in fact, my greatest ones - were not covered in any of the tests. And looking back, I wasn't sure what 'social' and 'business' were meant to assess. Sure, I know the alphabet and can file well, and I can apparently multiply and divide (even fractions), but that does not make me a good candidate for any form of science - I know that for certain. What didn't the tests measure? Writing skills, people skills, the ability to multi-task and work well under pressure, computer literacy, creativity, web site or brochure design, quick problem solving, event planning... even the few questions that addressed some these issues were not comprehensive enough to provide any real sense of a person's capabilities in these areas.

So why give it three stars? The idea is a good one, and the tests are interesting to take. It's also well written and clearly explains the process. It even goes so far to explain what the individual jobs it recommends are (and suggests that whatever your scores are, a career counselor might be a good idea) and what level of education is needed for them. And I'm encouraged by many of the reviews here, which seem to indicate that the book has been a tremendous help to some people. I think it's important, however, to note its shortcomings and the ways in which it might not be helpful. I suppose that I was a little too optimistic about finding a quick-fix to a long, complicated problem. But for those who approach this bok knowing it may not provide all the answers, I think that there are many solutions in it, or at the very least an indication of where to go next.

For example, I scored very superior in three areas: Clerical, Logic, and Numbers. I then looked at the CLN category to see what jobs I have the aptitude for. I was happy to see that some of the jobs they listed were ones that I was at least marginally interested in. I then looked at similar categories, like LN, CL, and CN...and some of those careers also looked appealing. My lowest score was also the category that was less appealing to me (although it was a category I'd have considered as a younger person.)

While this book does not profess to give definitive answers on what you should do, it would be a nice guide for someone who has NO idea what they'd be good at (note: this does not measure interest, just aptitude) or for someone like myself who'd like affirmation or redirection.

Westgaard divides his book into two parts: Part I is "Fundamentals of Testing" and discusses what testing is, how it occurs, and the three principal uses for testing. Part II is accurately titled "A Systematic Process for Test Development." This Part lists 15 steps for creating a test, including "Writing the Items" (step 8). Part II also tells you how to make the test valid and reliable. Don't overlook the last chapter, which explains the ethical considerations involved in testing!

Westgaard's style is clean and direct, giving plenty of examples and tools (such as checklists and worksheets) that illustrate his point.

Westgaard writes about what he calls good, fair tests. The model he provides is a sure way to create just that: good, fair tests. It has certainly worked for me!